


The Subtle Art of Getting Attention

by Brennah_K



Category: Harry Potter - Fandom
Genre: References to Child Abuse
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-10-11
Updated: 2012-10-11
Packaged: 2017-11-16 01:55:11
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,387
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/534180
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Brennah_K/pseuds/Brennah_K
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Harry wasn't the only one meant for Slytherin, who'd refused, and anyone who thinks Hermione's too smart for her own good - needs to learn to read between the lines and between those lines as well.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Subtle Art of Getting Attention

Professor Severus Snape stared, from the shadows between the library's night-darkened aisles, at the two miscreant, first years both, and easily recognizable at that... as they leaned over the spell book pulled down from a shelf that they had needed to stack chairs to reach. 

Gryffindors, of course, who else would be filled with such foolish bravado to think that they could naively break so many of Hogwart's codes of conduct in a single go.

“Come on, Mione, this can't be right.” Cried the red-headed offender, identifying one of the miscreants as a member of the Headmaster's favored trio... as if there would be any other first years obnoxious enough to disturb his nightly patrols simply to do research – no doubt at the instigation of the fuzzy-haired know-it-all beside him.

Severus was certain that he would shortly see the third, detestable member of their trio mistreating the library's resources momentarily, until the latest Weasley menace babbled, “Yeah, it sounds like him; I'll give you that, but Harry... He's not... I mean, he can't be... It's just a book.”

“Ohhhh, Ron...” the know-it-all sighed in distress, though whether in reaction to Weasley's denial of her theory, or his denial of the text's value on the basis that it was a text, Severus could not tell; however, he was curious about what detail of Potter had the two miscreants out of bed well after curfew, without the third member of their trio. With any luck, it would be a suitably embarrassing matter that he could exploit the next morning in potions.

“Ron, you said it yourself, Harry's gained half a stone since he got here. Look right here, it says he'd do that.”

Severus sneered at the utter baseness of their topic; he could hardly credit that they were going on about Potter's piggishness. Admittedly, it would take a ridiculous amount of gluttony for someone as scrawny as Potter to gain so much in a matter of weeks since the start of the semester, but no doubt the child was so used to being pampered and coddled at home that he'd decided to carry on his disgusting habits at Hogwarts.

“But...”

“And that part about “the frozen watchfulness”... you've seen how he watches all of them even Professor Sprout. I thought he was going to cut his finger off the yesterday day, when we were pruning the Gryffinspaws, because she was coming down our row.”

The girls comment surprised Severus, who had assumed that Potter's obnoxious tendency to track his every movement around in the most distrustful manner had been reserved for him alone.

“Come on. That doesn't mean anything.” Weasley denied. “He just likes knowing where people are. He's like that with us to. It's nothing to worry about.”

“Ron, can't you see that's not normal? ... And it's not normal that he gets up earlier than everyone else to bathe by himself. You told me about that, yourself, and it's not just so he doesn't get stuck with cold water. Hogwarts facilities are magically heated.”

Potter's behaviors were odd... Severus acknowledged, silently, but that was still far cry from the accusations that he was beginning to think Granger seemed to want to make.

“Look , you're wrong... He's not.”

“It's not... It's not normal, Ron. It's not.” Granger's retorted thickly.

“Awww. Come on Mione. Don't do that. Please.” Weasley's voice sounded almost panic stricken.

“I'm sorry. I didn't mean to. Sometimes, you know it just comes on you...” she answered with a thick watery tone that told Snape she'd been crying.

“Er... I – I guess.. but … but you really don't have to do that. Cry – I mean – Harry's not... I mean he can't be.”

“Just say it, Ronald!” She practically shrieked, in a fair rendition of a Harpie, before catching herself and glancing around quickly in a feeble attempt to be certain that she hadn't drawn attention to their presence. If she had wanted to ensure that, she should have kept her mouth shut. Though, for a Gryffindor, it was a rare enough example of caution that he gave her a minuscule amount of credit for it until she continued to blather on, forgetting that if she had drawn someone else's attention. 

“It's abuse. He's been abused, and you know it.”

“Awww. Mione will you just stop with that? Harry's the Boy Who Lived. No one would do something like that to him.”

Despite the ridiculous naiveté of Weasley's comment, Severus was as willing to discard the girl's hysterical accusation out of hand for the same reason, but Miss Granger didn't seem prepared to accept rationality and shrieked on, “Then how did he get those scars, Ron? Answer that, and why won't he go to Madam Pomfrey about them? And why does he freeze when anyone touches him? And why won't he change in the same dorm with you all? And why does he sleep with his wand clutched in his hand all night? And why won't he go to sleep until he thinks that everyone else is? And why doesn't he trust any of the adults, anyway? Answer that?”

“Er... he … he said his cousin?” Weasley answered lamely. 

Granger took on an reasonable impression of a scowl, but Severus could have easily explained to the witch that if she truly wanted to interrogate her partner in mischief, it would have been wiser to slow her rapid fire of seemingly damning questions. 

Of course, if she were trying to overwhelm Weasley, a task which was now doubt easily accomplished even with her natural lack of Slytherin cunning, the rapid fire listing of seemingly suspicious traits did give a certain impression of veracity – not that Severus was inclined to believe her. 

Not at all.

No. 

Certainly, he could come up with a reason or two...

No, not a reason or two...

A dozen or two reasons to explain the seemingly suspicious details she had listed. 

Severus was certain that any and all of the traits that she had detailed, not to mention several others that she had apparently missed, but which would point toward suspicious circumstances ... in other students – could be explained by some mundane justification... even if, together, they seemed more suspicious.

It was inconceivable to think that Potter was …. no, he wasn't even going to justify the girl's frivolous speculations with the hyperbolous title that she had given them.

That the boy had gained stone or two (Granger's pitiful underestimation of a half-stone aside) could easily be explained by his seemingly ravenous habits as well as the fact that more than once, Severus had noticed the boy's hand greedily dart out to desperately grab a last piece of fruit before the elves spirited the serving bowls away. 

On more than one occasion, when he'd caught Potter out after dark and had him turn his pockets out, the little glutton still had the gnawed piece of fruit on him – apparently unwilling to discard even the slightest crumb.

No wonder the boy had gained a stone or so. Still, even with the two stone, Potter's frame was only a shade of waifish... not emaciated, yet. 

Surely, as a Gryffidor, she was prone to exaggerating.

The 'watchfulness' that Granger had commented on, had, of course, been noticeable, though Severus had previously explained it away as the boy having inherited the instincts of his trouble making father. 

The fact that it had become habitual only spoke to the child's constant inability to repress his temptation to do mischief. Was it little wonder that he would be constantly looking over his shoulder when he was his father's spawn? With Weasley as his side-kick, Severus could easily see himself plagued by another duo of obnoxious pranksters to rival Weasley's elder though equally revolting twin brothers.

No... certainly it was the Weasley's negative influences that explained his tendency, even though Weasley himself did not share them.

That the boy bathed by himself was perhaps a bit odd, but reasonably explainable as being embarrassed over his lack of stature, which was odd in and of itself. 

Potter senior had been an almost gangly boy, at least a head taller before he filled out, while Lily, though well proportioned could never have been called tiny. 

By rights, their child should have been the tallest of his incoming year – rather than the shortest by inches. 

Still....

Well.... still...

**Author's Note:**

> Just a small note: this is a one-shot, without any plans for later development, or sequels and was solely focused on getting how Hermione might get Severus's attention directed to Harry's circumstances, certain in the knowledge, that once she put the bee in his bonnet, Severus wouldn't let the issue go. 
> 
> A pretty safe assumption, don't you think?


End file.
